Neighborhood — Blog

A tall crane

My neighborhood is the residential type with homes no taller than three stories. The tallest thing nearby is San Francisco State University, of which the highest building on campus is nine stories. The university is in the middle of constructing a new science building. Consequently, a giant crane have been erected for that purpose. This thing absolutely dominates the skyline, and honestly, a bit of an eye sore.

I get it now: I can see why NIMBYs all over protest against tall, dense housing. It’s not very nice to have your horizon of pure sky suddenly get obstructed with some monstrosity. What NIMBYs have to do is admit that is the real reason for their opposition - in additional to lowering the values of their home, of course. They chose to buy in a suburban area, and indeed it would suck to have that changed from under them.

Saves us the "we don’t want luxury apartments and developers to get rich” bullshit.

Just because I understand NIMBYs, doesn’t mean I am with them. San Francisco need to build more housing, full stop. And it cannot all be concentrated in the north east part of the city. Our nearby Stonestown mall is planning to develop addition apartments and shop areas to surround the existing mall. It’ll be interesting to see if it gets approval, because the skyline of our neighborhood will be changing with it.

Who knows if I’ll even be around to see that come to fruition. Not because I’d be dead, but because I might have moved away. Major constructions in this country - unless it’s a stadium/arena for a sports team - takes a long time. That aforementioned science building at San Francisco State won’t be complete for another four years!

Around the block

As a bleeding-heart introvert, this whole pandemic business isn’t without some silver lining. I’m used to staying home all the time anyways! The fact that a contagious virus has turn home confinement into something mandatory is not really a big change for me. I’m just sad that the rest of you extroverts have to suddenly join my lifestyle. Of course, I’m also devastated that over 400,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID.

Hopefully the incoming Biden administration - to be sworn in today - will be far more competent in combating the coronavirus than the departing administration.

Even the most ardent introvert needs some socializing. I was reminded of how nice it is to hang out with friends this past weekend. Properly socially distanced, mind you. A friend brought his kid over to deliver some things to me. During that time we got to stand around and chat for a bit, while the kid got to play with my housemate’s dog. Having a conversation in person: what a novel concept! The unseasonably warm and sunny day provided a perfect backdrop.

We then took the dog out for a walk around the neighborhood. Part of the allure of living in a suburbia-like area - houses with proper front yards and back - is how great it is to take a stroll just around the block. Vehicle traffic is minimal, and the air is wonderful thanks to the multitude of greenery. It was a cute scene with the kid holding onto the dog’s leash as it wanders through the neighborhood. Us adults following close behind, enjoying the sun.

It’s a shame I myself haven’t done enough walks like this; because, you know, pandemic. This brief hang out with friends provides a small taste of what we’ve missed, and what’s to come once everything goes back to normal. I am cheering for you, vaccine!